stearns



(No Model.)

.5. 0.'STEARNS VELOCIBEDB. 10,626,545

`Padaemted Sept, 25, 1894.

'IIIIII IIIIII lilll 1N vENToR. Mm /yMV/woanms.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD esfrEAENs, .oE sYRAoUsE, NEW YORK, AssieNoE To E. o. sTEAENs a co., or SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,545, dated September 25, 1894.

Application led February 12l 1894. Serial No. 499.873. (No model.) f

.To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD C. STEAENS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Syray may require.

In` the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section ot' a handle bar and steering post provided with my im provements.V Fig. 2 is a vertical section in line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the coupling sleeve which connects the handle bars. Fig. 4. is a horizontal section inline llt-#4., Fig. 1. y

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the steering head provided with the lower cone a., B the hollow steering post arranged within the head and provided wlth an upper cone, and C the balls arranged between the upper and lower cones. D rep- W resents the handle bars having their outer i ends, towhich the handles are secured, bent or curved rearwardly, so that the handles stand substantially at right angles to the steering post. All of these parts may be of any ordinary or suitable construction. y

The handle bars are preferably tubular and formed in two pieces which are connected by a coupling sleeveEinsertedin theinner ends of the handle bars and secured thereto by brazing, or otherwise. The central portion e of the coupling sleeve is enlarged, forming shoulders e against which the inner ends of the handle bars abut. The enlarged central portion of the coupling sleeve is provided with longitudinal ribs or corrugations f which project outwardly beyond thecylindrical surface of the handle bars so that the grooves formed between the ribs are open at their ends.

G represents a clamping sleeve or socket which is attached to the steering post and supports the handle bar. The upper portion of the clamping sleeve or sleeve proper, em.- braces the enlarged portion of the coupling sleeve and is provided on its inner side with longitudinal corrugations or ribs g which interlock with the ribs of the coupling sleeve. The lower portion of the clamping sleeve is split and the shank h of the sleeve is split lengthwise, as shown at h', so that the shank is divided into two parts which are connected by the sleeve proper, which latter is open on latter and the upper `cone surrounding the n saine are also split lengthwise.

I representsa clamping collar which surrounds the split upper cone and which has its split portions connected by a clamping bolt i. Upon tightening this bolt the clamping collar, upper cone, steering post and shank are contracted, which causes the clamping sleeve to grip the coupling sleeve of the handle bars.

When it is desired to change the position of the handles the clamping bolt is loosened, which allows the upper cone, steering post, shank and clamping sleeve to expand and re` lease the coupling sleeve. The handle bars are now moved laterally until the ribs of the coupling sleeve are removed from the grooves of the clamping sleeve. The handle bars are next turned to the desired position and then moved back into the grooves of the clamping sleeve, when, upon again tightening the clamping bolt, the handle bars are held firmly in this changed position. y

While I prefer to employ pronounced ribs or corrugations for interlocking the clamping sleeve with the handle bars as being most secure, this is not absolutely necessary, as merely ronghened or f rictional surfaces would answer the purpose in many cases. It is also obvious that the enlarged ribbed frictional `cylindrical surface e may be formed directly IOC on thhandle bars, without hn` en. Oil, yof a. coplngleve, Whnthe hadle bars V are formed in onevpiemel.r` a' 1 1' i hen thecollaifis 1o0seued,th`e splj'bshank: 5 can be adj ustedverticallyn thel stermgpost: `tosuitthecomfeniemze of hand f1 I elaimlasmy nveu K `rThe combination wi; K y 'post aufdihglhakndle algof al, :o clamping Sleeve fe by and provided Wit A. f .",SPIG AR. 

